Huskies' Ross to enter NBA draft

And Washington won its second outright regular-season conference title since 1953.

His array of offensive skills and ways he can be a matchup nightmare were on display on national television against a top opponent in Marquette at Madison Square Garden in early December. After Ross had spent most of the night hurting Marquette from outside, Romar called a play on Washington's final possession that sent Ross to left side of the lane just above the low blocks. He took an entry pass and scored on a turnaround shot over a smaller defender to put Washington ahead. Were it not for a missed defensive assignment on Marquette's subsequent screen play for the winning 3-pointer just before the final buzzer, Ross would have had the winning shot in a victory that likely would have secured another NCAA tournament bid for the Huskies.

Ross' 574 total points were tied for ninth most in any Huskies season. He was the only Husky to reach 30 points this season, doing so twice. He scored 26 in the second half to bury rival Washington State. He had nine games of 20 or more points.

Ross also flourished in the NIT. He averaged 25.0 points in four games. He was 15 for 15 from the free throw line and led UW shooters from 3-point range, making 15 of 37 tries (40.5 percent) as Washington came within one point of playing for the first national postseason tournament championship in the program's 110-season history.

According to a new NCAA rule, Ross has through April 10 to change his mind and pull his name from the draft to retain his college eligibility. But he says that is not going to happen.

Since there's just 10 days between now and that new NCAAA deadline, underclassmen essentially have no time to "test the waters" of the NBA draft, as there had been through last year with the league's deadline in June for early entrants to withdraw their names.

"I'm all in right now," Ross said. "I don't think there's anything that can change my decision. I've thought it over very hard."

If Ross had returned he could have been a first-team All-America and a top-five NBA pick in 2013. But he doesn't need to come back. His outside shot is so smooth and his post-up game so advanced for a guard, NBA people covet it him as-is. Ross is listed as the 20th-overall talent in the 2012 draft by espn.com.

Next, he will head to Los Angeles to work with a trainer that specializes in building strength in guards and thus more shooting range for the NBA-distance 3-point shot.

Asked what he will miss most at UW, Ross didn't hesitate.

"It's playing in front of the Dawg Pack," he said of UW's raucous student section that lines one sideline a few feet off the floor at Alaska Airlines Arena. "I feel U-Dub has one of the best crowds and best arenas in the country.

"Plus, the way Coach Romar has been a mentor for me... I love my team. That's going to be hard to pass up.

"(But)," Ross said of entering the NBA, "this has been a lifelong dream for me."

Ross has consulted with teammate Tony Wroten over the next move for the Pac-12's freshman of the year. Some also consider the 6-5 Wroten, UW's second-leading scorer just behind Ross at 16 points per game this season, as a potential first-round pick this summer.

"I've talked to him about it a few times," Ross said. "We've said when it comes down to it we've got to do what's best for us.

"I think (my decision) will affect him in a way. I'm not sure how."

Wroten has also asked the NBA's draft advisory committee for an estimate on where he may be selected in June. The committee's deadline to provide a response is Friday.

"I don't know," Wroten said early last Wednesday morning in New York, when asked about his future. "I'm going to sit down with my family and go from there."